Published: Saturday, June 29, 2013 at 12:04 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, July 1, 2013 at 8:52 a.m.

Weekend sightseers in downtown New Smyrna Beach were surprised to see a bit of wildlife early Saturday morning — a black bear that took refuge in a riverside tree and stayed there until well after sunset.

Onlookers with video cameras and cellphones were kept at a distance by police after the Florida black bear was spotted on Sams Avenue near Canal Street around 6:45 a.m., according to New Smyrna Beach Police Officer Jason McCarthy. Animal services personnel waited for afternoon storms to scatter the crowd in hopes the fuzzy visitor would descend on its own.

The bear, at first thought to be a young male, had other ideas, and as twilight set in, remained in the tree, high above the bustle of downtown until the crowds lessened.

Then the bear, apparently a female, according to the New Smyrna Beach Police Department, climbed down from the tree and ran in a northwest direction. She was last seen entering a wooded area near Ronnoc Lane, patrol Sgt. Christopher Kirk said in a news release Saturday night.

Throughout the day Saturday, curious visitors observed the bear in the tree as police, a biologist from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and a bear expert remained nearby.

“We are taking a wait-and-see approach,” Joy Hill, spokeswoman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, wrote in an email earlier Saturday before the bear disembarked from the tree. “We have no plans to proactively try to tranquilize and move it. We have an officer for crowd control and a biologist there to talk to people and help them understand the bear is in the tree because that is where bears retreat to when they feel scared.”

Hill said the commission doesn't get a lot of calls for bears in New Smyrna Beach, and this one is “likely a young male bear dispersing from its birth territory, now looking to find his own territory.”

Bears typically stay in trees until they feel it's safe to come down, usually after dark. Hill said as it tries to find its way to a new location, “there may be additional sightings as it makes its way along.

“People who see the bear should leave it alone and let it make its own way out,” Hill said. “It would prefer to avoid people. People should also avoid the area where it is right now. The longer there is a lot of commotion, the longer it will seek refuge in the tree.”

The Florida black bear population is estimated to have risen to around 3,000, compared with as few as 300 in the 1970s. The Central Florida bear population, with the Ocala National Forest and the St. Johns River watershed as prime habitat, is estimated to be around 1,000, according to the wildlife commission's 2012 Florida Black Bear Management Plan.

Sgt. Kirk said anyone who sees the traveling bear should report sightings to police and "witnesses are encouraged to keep their distance and avoid interfering with the bear as she works her way home.''

<p>Weekend sightseers in downtown New Smyrna Beach were surprised to see a bit of wildlife early Saturday morning — a black bear that took refuge in a riverside tree and stayed there until well after sunset. </p><p> Onlookers with video cameras and cellphones were kept at a distance by police after the Florida black bear was spotted on Sams Avenue near Canal Street around 6:45 a.m., according to New Smyrna Beach Police Officer Jason McCarthy. Animal services personnel waited for afternoon storms to scatter the crowd in hopes the fuzzy visitor would descend on its own. </p><p> The bear, at first thought to be a young male, had other ideas, and as twilight set in, remained in the tree, high above the bustle of downtown until the crowds lessened. </p><p> Then the bear, apparently a female, according to the New Smyrna Beach Police Department, climbed down from the tree and ran in a northwest direction. She was last seen entering a wooded area near Ronnoc Lane, patrol Sgt. Christopher Kirk said in a news release Saturday night.</p><p> Throughout the day Saturday, curious visitors observed the bear in the tree as police, a biologist from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and a bear expert remained nearby.</p><p> “We are taking a wait-and-see approach,” Joy Hill, spokeswoman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, wrote in an email earlier Saturday before the bear disembarked from the tree. “We have no plans to proactively try to tranquilize and move it. We have an officer for crowd control and a biologist there to talk to people and help them understand the bear is in the tree because that is where bears retreat to when they feel scared.” </p><p> Hill said the commission doesn't get a lot of calls for bears in New Smyrna Beach, and this one is “likely a young male bear dispersing from its birth territory, now looking to find his own territory.”</p><p> Bears typically stay in trees until they feel it's safe to come down, usually after dark. Hill said as it tries to find its way to a new location, “there may be additional sightings as it makes its way along. </p><p> “People who see the bear should leave it alone and let it make its own way out,” Hill said. “It would prefer to avoid people. People should also avoid the area where it is right now. The longer there is a lot of commotion, the longer it will seek refuge in the tree.” </p><p> The Florida black bear population is estimated to have risen to around 3,000, compared with as few as 300 in the 1970s. The Central Florida bear population, with the Ocala National Forest and the St. Johns River watershed as prime habitat, is estimated to be around 1,000, according to the wildlife commission's 2012 Florida Black Bear Management Plan.</p><p> Sgt. Kirk said anyone who sees the traveling bear should report sightings to police and "witnesses are encouraged to keep their distance and avoid interfering with the bear as she works her way home.''</p>